The effects of smoking

Tobacco smoke has a drying effect on the skin's surface and causes stress lines, particularly around the mouth and eyes.

Smoke is an irritant so smokers tend to squint and wrinkle their eyes, giving them lines that eventually become permanent.

As well as puckering around the mouth from drawing on a cigarette, smokers also often develop hollow cheeks.

Smoke restricts blood vessels and so reduces blood flow to the skin, robbing it of oxygen and nutrients.

Smokers lose 35mg more vitamin C a day than non-smokers.

Smoking has a serous effect on women's skin as it is thinner, so wrinkles show sooner and are more obvious.

The good news is that if you stop now, you'll also stop the damage to your collagen levels, you'll immediately boost your flagging circulation and will see obvious improvements in your skin after just two weeks.